Upcoming JRHB Events

Wednesday April 9^th

Regular Club Meeting at Legends

Hop Propagation and Selection

AHA – Extract Beer Judging

Wednesday May 14^th

Regular Club Meeting at Legends

Intra-Club Competition

Wednesday May 21^st

BOD Meeting at Legends

Wednesday June 11^th

Regular Club Meeting at Legends

“Summer Beers !”

For updated information and the club forum visit

http://www.jrhb.org/

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2008 Brews Cruise!

At 9:30 a.m. Saturday morning March 1^st , a motley band of twenty-six or so JRHB adventurers boarded a James River bus and headed out to unexplored brewing territory in the western Virginia highlands.

Supported only by William Spiesberger’s Coffee Stout and the unfaltering direction of expedition guide Dave Rockafellow, the group reached Blue Mountain Brewing in Afton mid-morning parched and famished. They were however immediately revived with samples of each of the brewery’s beers including a refreshing Kolsch and beautifully hopped “Half Nelson” Pale Ale. Head brewer Taylor Smack gave the group an excellent tour of the brew house which he designed, and the establishment’s hop fields.

Much invigorated, the group departed Blue Mountain in search of additional breweries, but inadvertently arrived at Veritas winery, who’s fermenters were erroneously identified from afar as those of the malt beverage variety. The Veritas winemakers were quite cordial to the brewing group however, and hosted a seated sampling of their products from the vine. During a tour of the wine making facilities it was noted that the equipment could possibly in a pinch, be pressed into production of a more favorable malt based beverage, but only after a most thorough sanitation and disinfection. The group left the winery with a large quantity of various wines for further testing and evaluation (most of which ultimately arrived safely in Richmond at the conclusion of the expedition).

Wine Fermenters at Veritas

After a brief detour necessitated by an impassible low bridge, the group found itself at the doors of the Starr Hill Brewery in scenic Crozet, Virginia. There, head brewer Mark Thompson opened the brewery’s taps to the enjoyment of the group, which included the notable Jomo Lager which was most restorative. Mark then led the group on a tour of the brewery’s new home in a previously abandoned frozen foods plant. Some were amazed by the plants capacity to store fabulous quantities of very very cold beer, while others took note (and lots of pictures) of the state of the art German manufactured brew house and bottling line.

The group had the pleasure of a brief visit with Jeff and Stacy York while at the brewery, who both were long time members of the JRHB before relocating to the Charlottesville area. The group then left Starr Hill with parting wishes for the brewery’s continued success and expansion in its new location.

While heading downhill on the return trip to Richmond the group was forced to stop in Charlottesville to rest the horses and cool the brakes, and passed the time at South Street Brewing Company. While at South Street, several groups of our party were treated to a lengthy sampling and discussion of the brewery’s most excellent brews in the rather confined space of the brew house. A most impressive casked Imperial Stout had been especially reserved for just such an occasion, and at least one member of the JRHB party managed to coerce several rather ample repeated samplings from the brewers.

Tired, but in good spirits, the group traveled a long, rough, rocky, and winding road back to Richmond.

The group can only attribute their safe return to the efforts of guide Dave Rockafellow.

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March Meeting Recap

President Mike Lang called the meeting to order at the appointed time. Approximately 21 people were in attendance. We recognized a number of guests joining us for the meeting, and thanked Tom Martin and his staff for their continued support.

Mike gave a report on the recent BrewsCruise and thanked Dave Rockafellow for his planning and coordination of an exceptional trip, and in assuring all returned home safely.

Members were reminded that on April 7, 2008 we will celebrate 75 years of brewing since the repeal of prohibition. Obviously this is a milestone that we should recognize with consumption celebration.

Mike, aided by William Spiesberger, spoke on the types and causes of beer flaws, and presented to the group a number of beers to evaluate for flaws. Fortunately for all present, William neglected to bring most of the beer adulterating agents to the meeting so the group was only subjected to one mildly vinegary beer.

Brian “Butters” Davis asked the membership for feedback on color selections for new club T-Shirts, which will be made available soon.

Competition Coordinator William Spiesberger reminded the group that our intra-club competition will be held during the regular May meeting. All members are encouraged to bring in at least two bottles each of their best brew to enter into the competition. All present at the May meeting will judge these entries using BJCP style guidelines. The brewer of the best beer will win a nice (but currently undisclosed) prize. The annual Dominion Cup competition will likely be scheduled for late August. The exact date and the location should be determined by the May meeting.

A select judging panel determined to send Matt Martin’s Porter as the clubs entry off to the AHA Club-only competition. Good luck Matt.

Vice-President Robert Doucet held another fantastic club raffle with many excellent prizes being distributed to conclude the meeting.

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Oh My Beer God !

Gambrinus is a legendary king of Flanders, and an unofficial patron saint of beer or beer brewing. Many celebrate his believed birth date every April 11th.

Since to many of the ancient peoples fermentation occurred due to divine intervention, many worshipped a special god of beer. For the Sumerians it was Nin-Harra, the Goddess of Fertility. The Egyptians worshipped the godly siblings, Isis and Osiris. Even Dionysius (Bacchus), who was honored by the Greeks of antiquity as the God of Wine, appears to have initially been considered the God of Beer. In Poland and Prussia homage was paid to Rauguzemapat, which can roughly be translated as "Lord of Fermentation." Drinking sacrifices were demanded in his honor: Of every freshly tapped keg of beer the lord of the house personally had to empty the first draught in Rauguzemapat's name (wow…tough duty there).

One origin of the character Gambrinus is believed to be John the Fearless (1371–1419), who some also believe to be the inventor of hopped beer (this guy is probably in William’s direct blood line).

Better known among students of beer is the version that the name "Gambrinus" was taken from "Jan Primus," also know as Johann the First [John I, Duke of Brabant]. This Jan Primus, a Flemish prince of the middle ages, is supposed to have been much enamored of the barley juice. A painting from the beginning of the 16th century, now in the German Brewing Museum in Munich, shows Gambrinus, together with beer brewing utensils, as a crowned sovereign. Besides the invention of beer, Gambrinus is also credited with the founding of the cities of Cambray and Hamburg (in old Latin writing also called Gambrivium).

In what is possibly the earliest known record of the name, the German poet Burkart Waldis mentioned Gambrinus in the year 1543, explaining that Gambrinus learned the art of brewing from Isis, the ancient Egyptian goddess of motherhood and fertility.

Possible Latin etymologies of the name include cambarus (cellarer) and ganeae birrinus (one who drinks in a tavern). Although not as likely, Gambrinus might also derive from camba, a word from the Celtic language family that refers to a brewer's pan.

Gambrinus is often depicted either in kingly garb, dressed as an English knight of the Middle Ages, or (less commonly) as a plump old man.

Because of Gambrinus' significance, numerous European and North American brewers have adopted the character (or his name) in their beer brands.

Several notable breweries are named for Gambrinus or use his image, including:

-The Cantillon Brewery of Brussels, Belgium brews a Framboise called Rosé de Gambrinus and uses Gambrinus in their logo.

- Gambrinus Brewery of Plzeň, Czech Republic

- Gambrinus of Mulhouse, Alsace, France

- The Gambrinus Company of San Antonio, Texas, U.S.A.

- Gambrinus Brewing Co. of Oshkosh, Wisconsin

- The Gambrinus Brewing Company of Columbus, Ohio, U.S.A.

- The Spanish brewery Cruzcampo, property of Heineken Co., use Gambrinus as their corporate mascot.

So be sure to pour a libation for the beer gods next time you brew, and lift one on April 11^th in Gambrinus’ honor, your beer may turn out better!

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Craft Beer Rocks Again in '07

Feb 28, 2008 - Information Resources Inc. said craft beer sales rose 16.7 percent from $493 million in 2006 to $575 million in 2007, marking the second straight year of double-digit increases. IRI tracks sales only in the off-premise trade.

IRI reported the Great Lakes Region - comprised of Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, Indiana and Ohio - saw a 28.1 percent increase in sales from $54.4 million in 2006 to $69.6 million in 2007. Sales for the region have more than doubled since 2003. The Southeast Region - comprised of Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina and Florida - experienced the largest increase in sales, up 31.6 percent to $41 million in 2007.

The sale of craft beer is also off to a strong start this year, according to the report, with sales up almost 16 percent in the first four weeks of this year compared to the same period in 2007.

The Brewers Association released 2007 sales figures for the craft beer segment, also reporting yet another year of double digit growth. Craft beer again lead all other segments in the beer category.

The BA reports estimated sales by independent craft brewers up 12 percent by volume and 16 percent in dollars for 2007. Craft brewers' share of the beer category is 3.8 percent of production and 5.9 percent of retail sales.

These figures account for sales by "craft breweries" only. The BA defines a craft brewer is "small, independent, and traditional with annual production less than 2 million barrels." A key distinction is that "independent" is defined by the BA as "less than 25% of the craft brewery is owned or controlled (or equivalent economic interest) by an alcoholic beverage industry member who is not themselves a craft brewer." This means that sales by specialty brewers such as Widmer Brothers Brewing, Redhook Ale Brewery and others which are partially owned by major-brand brewers are not accounted for in the growth numbers.

The BA annually polls the country's craft brewers to estimate the total volume of beer sold by brewpubs, microbreweries, and regional craft breweries in the United States, and uses scan data to estimate sales. Results show that the U.S. had 1,449 total breweries in operation in the U.S. during 2007, including 1,406 small, independent, and traditional craft brewersÞ. Nearly 70 percent of craft breweries are brewpubs that sell most or all of their beer on-premises.

"Since 2004, dollar sales by craft brewers have increased 58 percent," said Paul Gatza, Director of the Brewers Association. "The strength of this correlates with the American trend of buying local products and a preference for more flavorful foods and beers."

The Brewers Association estimates the actual dollar sales figures from craft brewers at more than $5.74 billion, up from $4.95 billion in 2006. Sales in barrels equaled 8,011,141 (one barrel is 31 U.S. gallons) up from 7,147,050 barrels in 2006. The 2007 increase totals 864,091 barrels, which is the equivalent of 11.9 million cases or 285 million 12-ounce bottles of beer.

Price increases that many brewers have implemented due to increased hop and barley costs were introduced last month or the first of this month, and shelf prices are just now beginning to reflect those higher prices. February, and particularly March will be important indicators of how the higher prices of craft beer will be affecting sales at retail.

More beer news and classifieds at:

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Yet Another Virginian named

'Beer Drinker of the Year'

Feb 26, 2008 - Matt Venzke of Yorktown, Va., has won Wynkoop Brewing Company's 2008 Beerdrinker of the Year contest.

Venke, an aircraft maintenance manager, is the second straight Virginia resident to win the competition. Diane Catanzaro of Norfolk won in 2007.

Venzke beat out finalists J Mark Angelus Oregon and and Richard Pedretti-Allen of Texas.

As the 2008 Beerdrinker of the Year, Venzke wins free beer for life at Wynkoop, a $250 beer tab at the Taphouse on Queensway and clothing proclaiming him the 2008 Beerdrinker of the Year.

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Early politicians required feedback from the public to determine what the people considered important. Since there was no telephone, television, or radio, the politicians sent their assistants to local taverns, pubs, and bars. They were told to "go sip some ale" and listen to people's conversations and political concerns. The two words "go sip" were eventually combined when referring to the local opinion and, thus we have the term "gossip."

At local taverns, pubs, and bars, people drank from pint and quart-sized containers. A bar maid's job was to keep an eye on the customers and keep the drinks coming. She had to pay close attention and remember who was drinking in "pints" and who was drinking in "quarts," hence the term "minding your "P's and Q's."

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Do not cease to drink beer, to eat, to intoxicate thyself, to make love, and to celebrate the good days.

Egyptian Proverb

A fine beer may be judged with only one sip, but it's better to be thoroughly sure.

Czech Proverb

I fear the man who drinks water and so remembers this morning what the rest of us said last night.

Greek Proverb

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AHA – Club Only Competition

From time to time, the American Homebrewers Association (AHA) sponsors competitions based on a particular style. These competitions are open only to AHA-affiliated homebrew clubs. Each club holds a competition on the particular style. The winner’s brew is sent off to be judged with the winners from other homebrew clubs around the country. Bring in five bottles – two for the local competition and three to send off if you win. Note that all competitions will use the 2008 BJCP Guidelines.

http://www.beertown.org/homebrewing/schedule.html

2008 -2009 Competition Schedule:

May 2008 - Extract Beers

Urban Knaves of Grain of Naperville, IL

Entries are due May 2, 2008

August 2008 – Mead

Minnesota Homebrewers Association of Edina, MN

Entries are due 7/25/2008

September/October 2008 Imperial Anything

Clinton River Association of Fermenting Trendsetters (C.R.A.F.T.) of Macomb Township, MI

Entries are due TBD

January/February 2009

Belgian & French Ales

Silverado Homebrew Club of St. Charles, IL Competition covers BJCP Category 16 styles.

May 2009

Extract Beers

Knights of the Brown Bottle club of Arlington, TX

Competition covers all BJCP beer categories (1-23)

As the entry dates are set, we will include the date that our local competition will be held in the Upcoming JRHB Events listing. Winners earn Homebrew Club of the Year points for their club.

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BJCP – Beer Style of the Month

Note: The 2008 BJCP Guidelines have recently been published updating the 2004 Guidelines. The 2008 revision has some minor wording corrections, updates lists of classic examples that are currently generally available, and has updates to typical gravities and other specifications for a number beer styles. The updated guidelines are available for download at

http://www.bjcp.org/stylecenter.html

2B. Bohemian Pilsener

Aroma: Rich with complex malt and a spicy, floral Saaz hop bouquet. Some pleasant, restrained diacetyl is acceptable, but need not be present. Otherwise clean, with no fruity esters.

Appearance: Very pale gold to deep burnished gold, brilliant to very clear, with a dense, long-lasting, creamy white head.

Flavor: Rich, complex maltiness combined with a pronounced yet soft and rounded bitterness and spicy flavor from Saaz hops. Some diacetyl is acceptable, but need not be present. Bitterness is prominent but never harsh, and does not linger. The aftertaste is balanced between malt and hops. Clean, no fruity esters.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied (although diacetyl, if present, may make it seem medium-full), medium carbonation.

Overall Impression: Crisp, complex and well-rounded yet refreshing.

History: First brewed in 1842, this style was the original clear, light-colored beer.

Comments: Uses Moravian malted barley and a decoction mash for rich, malt character. Saaz hops and low sulfate, low carbonate water provide a distinctively soft, rounded hop profile. Traditional yeast sometimes can provide a background diacetyl note. Dextrins provide additional body, and diacetyl enhances the perception of a fuller palate.

Ingredients: Soft water with low mineral content, Saaz hops, Moravian malted barley, Czech lager yeast.

Vital Statistics: OG: 1.044 – 1.056

IBUs: 35 – 45 FG: 1.013 – 1.017

SRM: 3.5 – 6 ABV: 4.2 – 5.4%

Commercial Examples: Pilsner Urquell, Krušovice Imperial 12°, Budweiser Budvar (Czechvar in the US), Czech Rebel, Staropramen, Gambrinus Pilsner, Zlaty Bazant Golden Pheasant, Dock Street Bohemian Pilsner

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Beer Recipe of the Month

Bohemian Pilsener

Batch Size (Gal): 5.00

Total Grain (Lbs): 10.50

Anticipated OG: 1.056

Anticipated FG: 1.014

Anticipated ABV: 5.54%

Anticipated SRM: 4.3

Anticipated IBU: 51.2

Wort Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Grain Bill

Qnty. Name Potential SRM

9.50 lbs. Pilsener Germany 1.038 2

1.00 lbs. Munich Germany 1.037 8

Hops

Amount Name Form Alpha IBU Boil Time

1.00 oz. Saaz Whole 3.30 14.4 60 min.

1.00 oz. Saaz Whole 3.30 12.9 45 min

1.00 oz. Saaz Whole 3.30 7.30 30 min

1.00 oz. Saaz Whole 3.30 3.80 15 min

1.00 oz. Saaz Whole 3.30 2.90 10 min

1.00 oz. Saaz Whole 3.30 2.40 05 min

Yeast: White Labs WLP800 Pilsner Lager.

Mash Schedule: 60 minute Single Infusion @ 150 F

!!CAUTION - Recipe adapted from BJCP Exam Answers !!

Our Compliments to….

The WeekEnd Brewer

Homebrew & Wine Supplies

4205 West Hundred Road

Chester, VA 23831

(804) 796-9760

http://www.weekendbrewer.com/

River City Cellars

Beer, Wine and Gourmet Foods

2931 West Cary Street

Richmond, VA 23221

(804) 355-1375

www.rivercitycellars.com

(10% Discount for JRHB Members with JRHB Membership Card Only)

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